COWIE WALKS THE FINE LINE
No controversy over midfielder’s winner but the irony is not lost on Hibs as they crash out
THE BALL was definitely over the line this time, right? Just checking. It wouldn’t do for there to be a goal/no-goal controversy at the end of an Edinburgh derby, after all…
‘I was almost hoping it wasn’t in, that would have been brilliant!’ declared a beaming — and mischievous — Craig Levein, the Hearts manager clearly intent on winding up everyone of a Hibernian persuasion following a rambunctious Scottish Cup fourth-round Tynecastle triumph for his team.
As it transpired, the only controversy surrounding this one concerned who actually got the final touch on the late home winner.
Christophe Berra was claiming it, as was Don Cowie. Hibs midfielder John McGinn, the third suspect in the case of the final touch, was keeping a lower profile.
What is beyond doubt is that, on an afternoon of moves nearly coming off and good intentions drowning in the mud, Hearts got a win that left Levein dancing in boyish delight on the touchline.
A seventh clean sheet on the bounce, a set-piece goal three minutes from time, a triumph earned on the back of relentless work rate. A Levein victory if ever there was.
And so, for the first time in three seasons, Hearts managed to turn the Scottish Cup tables on their city rivals.
Knocked out of the competition by Hibs in each of the last two campaigns, they savoured every ounce of the sweet, sweet revenge served up here.
A first win over their city rivals in ten meetings was just as important to Levein, on a mission to end the dominance of the Easter Road side.
And, inevitably, the goal had to come at the same end of Tynecastle where Oli Shaw had seen his perfectly good derby ‘winner’ disallowed just last month.
The ball crossed the line at exactly the same spot as Shaw’s effort, almost down to the same blade of grass. Or square inch of sodden dirt, if you’re being picky.
‘It’s brilliant to see a linesman doing his job properly — it’s amazing, isn’t it? Absolutely amazing,’ said Hibs boss Neil Lennon, highlighting the irony of the situation.
This one hurt him, all right. And it stung all the more because his team failed to show the kind of footballing smarts that he’s been drilling into them for months now. Sure, Hibs played well enough in the first half. Martin Boyle also passed up one glorious chance — and saw a second-half effort thwarted brilliantly by Hearts goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin.
Over the course of 90 minutes plus time added on, however, the home side undoubtedly edged proceedings. With Anthony Stokes declared
persona non grata by Hibs, not even in the matchday squad, the visitors were arguably always going to be a little light on firepower for this one.
Certainly compared to their hosts, who added new signing Steven Naismith to the starting line-up — and nearly saw him make the most spectacular of starts.
With just over three-and-a-half minutes on the clock, the Scotland forward was played through the middle by David Milinkovic, neatly side-stepped onrushing keeper Ofir Marciano, but sent his low shot fizzing just wide of the target.
On a slick surface made slicker still by a heavy pre-match snowfall, the early chance raised hopes of some football actually breaking out amid the battles.
Such optimism was short lived, with the game descending into the kind of thumping scrum-fest typified by fourth official John Beaton tearing on to the pitch to grab the ball from McGinn; it was that kind of afternoon.
Hearts looked fairly solid with three at the back, a formation that allowed new signing Demetri Mitchell to concentrate on getting froward in a left wing-back role.
But the pace of Shaw and Boyle gave Hibs a dangerous edge to their forward play, allowing them to gradually gain the upper hand in terms of territory.
Pinning Hearts back into their own half, the visitors plugged away without any great show of composure.
Boyle repeatedly got himself in a position to do damage, without making it count.
At a stage of the game when slide tackles were being cheered to the rafters for want of anything more productive, his low cross from the right after 22 minutes was just inches from being put away by Shaw.
And Boyle himself should have scored a minute later, somehow screwing the ball wide at the back post with the goal gaping, thanks to a Shaw cross and a Vykintas Slivka flick-on.
Hearts offered very little by way of a response in the first half, beyond a tame Esmael Goncalves shot easily saved by Marciano.
It was an entirely different story after the break, however, with the intelligent prodding of Naismith quickly creating a couple of overloads in the final third for the hosts.
And fans of goalkeeping excellence have to find footage of Marciano’s stoop from new boy Mitchell just before the hour mark.
Timing his left-footed volley perfectly to meet Goncalves’ cross to the back post, Mitchell drilled the ball low and incredibly hard — only to be thwarted by a stunning stop by Marciano.
Hearts were building the pressure now, a Berra shot straight into the breadbasket of the Hibs keeper saw another chance go abegging.
Inside the closing ten minutes, Hibs seemed to find some flicker of resistance; McLaughlin’s save from Boyle’s volley at the back post was every bit as good as Marciano’s earlier stop.
As the clock wound down, however, it was Hearts who found the way through. Hearts who got the ball over the line.
At the second — or third — attempt, admittedly. But they all count, right?
HEARTS (3-4-2-1): McLaughlin; Souttar, Hughes, Berra; Randall, Cochrane (Smith 90), Djoum, Mitchell; Milinkovic (Cowie 15), Naismith; Goncalves (Moore 87). Subs not
used: Hamilton, Stockton, Brandon, McDonald. Booked: Souttar, Berra. HIBERNIAN (4-1-2-1-2): Marciano; Ambrose, McGregor, Hanlon, Stevenson; Bartley (Murray 77); McGeouch, McGinn; Slivka (Barker 59); Shaw, Boyle. Subs not used: Bain, Swanson, Rherras, MacLaren, Porteous. Booked: McGinn. Man of the match: Don Cowie. Referee: Kevin Clancy. Attendance: 18,709.
9 Hearts’ victory over Hibs yesterday was their first derby win since a 2-1 success at Tynecastle on August 17, 2014. The Gorgie side had gone nine capital clashes without coming out on top